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Demon
| image = | name = Demon | kanji = 悪魔 | romanji = Akuma | primary power = Soul consumption | notable members = Sebastian Michaelis Claude Faustus Hannah Anafeloz Timber Thompson Cantebury }} Demon (悪魔; Akuma, also translatable as devil) is a supernatural being who occasionally comes to the human world to form Faustian Contracts with humans, offering a range of services in return for the future consumption of the individual's soul. Overview Demons seem to exist for the sole purpose of consuming souls of humans. They are shown to be capable of doing this by either forming Faustian contracts with humans or simply taking their souls. However, Sebastian Michaelis states the latter method is like "messily sampling every dish available."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 28 It is unknown why, since demons can take souls without a contract, they do not simply do that for all souls. Sebastian suggests that it may have something to do with the quality of an individual soul, as he seems to have chosen Ciel Phantomhive for this reason alone. However, quality of the soul seems to be subjective, as Shinigami William T. Spears states that he does not see how Sebastian can consider Ciel to be "high-class goods."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 34 This may also be because Spears is a Shinigami, not a demon, and does not understand a demon's tastes. There are two aesthetics of demons: one, their masters' orders are absolute and two, obey those orders while keeping their contracts. These two aesthetics are the reason for most demons' actions. There is no faith or loyalty that prompts them to act otherwise. However, demons are highly afraid of breaking their aesthetics, this being why they value their masters' lives above their own.Kuroshitsuji Character Guide page 8 A contracted person receives a mark of their contract somewhere on his or her body, with a corresponding mark appearing simultaneously on the demon. The location of the mark can be chosen by the person who wishes to make a contract, or it can be the choice of the demon, as in Ciel's case. The more visible the location of the seal is, the stronger it is. Sebastian's contract symbol is on his left hand, and Ciel's symbol is on his right eye; in the anime, Claude Faustus' symbol is on his hand and Alois Trancy's mark is on his tongue. The contract mark is comparable to a scar or brand, and allows the demon to be able to locate his or her master at any time. It gives the human great authoritative power over the contracted demon, but at the same makes it impossible for him or her to ever escape said demon. Sebastian likens the contract to a "collar."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 29 The placing of the seal is extremely painful.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 62, pages 4-6 The mark Ciel and Sebastian share is in the form of a pentacle, i.e. a five-pointed star inside a circle, with the magic word 'tetragrammaton' around it. In the anime, this would seem to be the standard design, as three different contract marks have been shown and all three were variations of a pentacle (in Hannah's case, a pentagram). In marks placed by Sebastian and Claude the star design appears inverted, that is with two points upward rather than one, traditionally a sign of black magic or devil worship in Western occultism. In order to create the contract, a human has to summon a demon. However, it seems that they do not need to be aware of the existence of demons, attempt to summon a specific demon, or even summon one intentionally, as Ciel states he summoned Sebastian accidentally.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 36, page 13 It seems that a human needs to have a lack of faith in God, and be desperately searching for a way out, if Ciel's situation is indicative of a typical summoning process. Sebastian states that once summoned, this fact will not change for all eternity. All the same, it seems that the human still has the option to go through and create the contract, or dismiss the demon, as when Sebastian was summoned, he asked Ciel to make a decision.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 19, pages 10-11 William compares a demon's contract with humans to poking fun at them and then leeching anything that comes out as a means of survival, to which Sebastian replies he does not dismiss that claim.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 12, page 24 Demons seem to be independent operatives. They contract on their own behalf, and there is no suggestion that they serve any supreme devil/demon, or any evidence that such an entity exists in the series (though there is reference to God). While demons are physically capable of consuming human food, as shown through Sebastian's sampling of lemonade, cake, curry, and wine at various points, it seems that only human souls are able to satiate their hunger. William states that refraining from consuming souls can leave demons "starving" to the point that they cannot help themselves. This does not seem to negatively affect Sebastian, at least not in the same way starvation would kill a human, although Angela comments that his being starved causes him to feel more pain than normal when physically injured.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 20 All the same, demons do seem to be able to be afflicted by problems similar to humans, such as when Sebastian complains of heartburn after drinking lemonade that contained MSG instead of sugar.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 1, page 12 Demons are said to be "devoid of love"Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 30 and lacking in convictions and loyalties.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 13, page 27 Nonetheless they have their principles, which include following their masters' orders and maintaining the integrity of a contract. Sebastian states that after the contract was made with Ciel, he even made a vow to the moon to be the Sebastian Ciel called for. (Grell Sutcliff comments that making a vow to the moon is the mark of a dishonest man. ) Demons also seem to have a long-standing hatred of Shinigami, which is illustrated through Sebastian's interactions with William T. Spears and Grell Sutcliff, particularly in the manga.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 27-30 Grell sums this up by saying, "If the job of a Shinigami is to recover the souls of the dead, then demons can be likened to pests that snatch these souls away just for the sake of devouring them."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 26 Sebastian, on the other hand, calls their use of the cinematic record "just a terrible interest" and the worst sort of spying activity.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 10, page 11 However, it is understood that, as far as demons go, Sebastian is not particularly harmful, as William states that he is "slightly better" than the others and that he's "not the type to feast."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 35, page 17 Abilities Demons are shown to have a variety of abilities, including: *'Enhanced speed': Sebastian has demonstrated the ability to outrun a car that was attempting to speed away from him.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 3, pages 33-40 He is also able to run to places in one hour that would take a day to get to by coach or railroad.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 30, pages 22-23 *'Enhanced endurance': While fighting Grell Sutcliff, who was wielding his powerful death scythe, Sebastian was able to sustain multiple injuries from him and continue fighting and protecting Ciel. Sebastian is also able to survive attacks that would kill humans, such as when shot in the head and chest multiple times by Azzurro Vanel's men. However, powerful weapons such as a Death Scythe can significantly weaken or even kill a demon. *'Enhanced sense of smell': Sebastian is able to find humans based on smell, including ones he has never personally met; is able to deduce if they are dead, alive, or injured; and is able to discern if someone is a human or a member of another race, as shown when he quickly identified Agni as a human rather than a Shinigami. Sebastian states that he is able to pick up any kind of scent.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 30, page 29 thumb|120px|right|Sebastian uses his fire manipulation abilities. *'Transformation': Sebastian has demonstrated that he can switch between his human form to his true demon form and back quickly. It is questionable as to where this is an ability all demons have. Claude also seems to be able to transform into the form of a spider. During Episode 4, Claude is seen having a long, inhuman tongue briefly. *'Soul staining': It is not known precisely how this works or what it entails, but Grell states that a demon's hands and lips have the ability to stain a soul. *'Fire control': By revealing the sign of his contract, Sebastian is able to set an entire mansion on fire from three small candles.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 34, page 23 It is unknown if this is an inherent ability or if a demon needs to have a contract in order to use it. *'Manipulation': Beyond making contracts for a human's soul, Sebastian has offered to make other deals or attempted to charm and manipulate people in order to get what he wants. William has called this the "signature" ability of a demon, and states that it works by "deceiving prey with sweet words and draging them into darkness."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 28, pages 26-27 While ineffective against William, he later uses this ability to get Beast, who initially dislikes Sebastian, to reveal important information. *'Body Manipulation:' Sebastian is shown to be able to twist someone's arm just by twirling his finger.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 4, page 38 *'Long Life': Claude said that demon gain eternal life''Kuroshitsuji'' manga, Chapter 62, page 8 *'Manifestation': Sebastian was able to recreate the Phantomhive manor, including the building itself and all of the furniture and decorating, in a matter of hours.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 62, page 20 He was also able to create a feast in an instant.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 62, page 28 Likewise Claude completely redecorates the Trancy manor in the time it takes a party of guests to arrive, and later changes the color of the interior walls overnight. Known Demons: *Sebastian Michaelis *Claude Faustus (anime) *Thompson (anime) *Cantebury (anime) *Timber (anime) *Hannah Anafeloz (anime) *Ciel Phantomhive (anime only) Known Contracted Humans: *Ciel Phantomhive *Alois Trancy *Luka Macken Trivia *The word spelled out in Sebastian's contract sign, tetragrammaton, is a term that refers to the name of God in the Jewish and Christian faiths.Wikipedia:Tetragrammaton It is frequently used in mystical and Kabbalistic writings. The word literally means "four letters", the letters being YHWH or YHVH (Yahweh/Jehovah). *Sebastian has been seen wearing a rosary, which would suggest that sacred objects (such as crucifixes, holy water, etc.) do not have a negative effect on demons.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 67, page 22 References Navigation Category:Races Category:Demons